In one form of conventional shipping and storage container, in the form of a drum, a tubular side wall is formed of fibrous material or other material. It is conventional to provide connecting rings at opposite ends of the sidewall for securing closures thereacross. The connecting rings may be of metal or plastic. Alternatively, the drum may be of one piece plastic construction, such as made by blow molding.
In one form of a container closure, a removable cover is configured to rest on the annular connecting ring at the top of the container. A locking belt secures the cover to the retaining ring. The locking belt most commonly has been formed of metal and includes metal locking structure riveted thereto. Such a metal locking band can be expensive and might also rust, which could contaminate the product stored in the container. Locking belts have also been formed of plastic. The plastic locking belts are formed of multiple plastic pieces. This requires that the multiple pieces be molded or otherwise formed separately.
The present invention is directed to solving one or more of the problems discussed above in a novel and simple manner.